


THIS IS NOT A DRILL

by itsmylifekay



Series: Fire Alarm [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-23
Updated: 2014-10-23
Packaged: 2018-02-22 06:28:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2497925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsmylifekay/pseuds/itsmylifekay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“So this sucks,” a gravelly voice says beside him.</p><p>Steve looks over and sees the guy from across the hall, somehow managing to look even more cold and miserable than Steve himself feels. But it’s probably because while Steve’s in his flannel pajamas and a jacket, this guy’s only in a pair of faded grey boxer shorts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	THIS IS NOT A DRILL

**Author's Note:**

> this was based on a tumblr post that i wish i had the link to but do not.

 

Getting woken up in the middle of the night isn’t exactly a rare occurrence in university. Getting woken up in the middle of the night to what sounds like a train barreling its way through your room...a bit more surprising. Certainly surprising enough to have Steve’s eyes flying open and his chest tightening in panic as his half-asleep brain tries to figure out what’s going on. He blinks owlishly into the dorm room-- just making out the edge of his desk with the scant light leaking in from the slit in the curtains (he’s never managed to get them to close all the way) but there’s nothing else there. No railway of death cutting its way across his floor.

His mudded thought process finally manages to equate the terrible sound to what his school passes as a fire alarm, fumbling his way down from his bed while his ears continue to be assaulted. But he’s awake, so the infernal thing _has_ done its job he supposes.

“C’mon, everybody outside!”

There’s the sound of footsteps thudding down the hallway as their RA knocks on doors and attempts to mobilize everyone out into the cold night air at...Steve squints at the green numbers on his microwave. A little after three in the morning. Fantastic.

It’s the very middle of fall so the air is nippy and the sky is dark and overcast, wet leaves squelching under his feet from the rain that afternoon as he makes his way to the designated ‘safe area’ across from the dorm. He’d thrown on a jacket before coming out, but he’s still cold. Poor circulation and zero body mass will do that to a person.

“So this sucks,” a gravelly voice says beside him.

Steve looks over and sees the guy from across the hall, somehow managing to look even more cold and miserable than Steve himself feels. But it’s probably because while Steve’s in his flannel pajamas and a jacket, this guy’s only in a pair of faded grey boxer shorts.

“Probably be better if you’d put some clothes on first.”

The guy smiles ruefully. “Yeah well, they don’t teach you to dress for success in fire safety. They just say stop, drop, and roll; stay low to the ground; and don’t breathe in the smoke.”

Steve lets out a snort at that.

“They also don’t tell you what to do if you’re in the middle of a shower and your RA tells you you have to go outside.” The guy wraps his arms around his chest and shivers a little, a few droplets of water shaking from his hair to his neck, and only then does Steve realize the guy is _wet._ “Be glad I even got my boxers on.”

“That...really does suck.” Steve allows, eyeing the guy dubiously as another gust of wind rattles the tree branches above them, whipping up some of the leaves scattered along the ground. “Aren’t you freezing?”

“Like a popsicle.” He smiles, fake cheer in his voice and forced crinkles by his eyes.

With a soft sigh, Steve starts to take off his jacket. “Well, no one is going to turn into a popsicle on my watch.” He holds the jacket out for the guy to take, bouncing it a bit when all he gets is a blank stare in return.

“No,” the guy shakes his head. “No way, I can’t take your jacket. Then you’ll be cold.”

“I think I’ll live.”

“So will I.”

Steve glares at him. “Just take the damn jacket.”

There’s a tense moment of silence before another gust of wind comes by, sifting chilling fingers through their hair and down the collar of Steve’s flannel. His treacherous body shivers and his toes curl against the plastic of his sandals. But the guy next to him is worse off, arms clenching tighter and shoulders caving in against the cold. Steve pushes the jacket towards him again, and the guy lets out a long-suffering sigh before taking it.

Thankfully, Steve buys all his clothes a few sizes too large so it fits pretty well, wrapping over the guy’s broader shoulders and thicker arms without looking ridiculous. The guy looks up at him just as he’s about to pull the zipper, pausing and getting a thoughtful look on his face, biting at his bottom lip for a moment.

But Steve’s more focused on the way his hands and feet are slowly turning to ice, stuffing his fingers beneath his armpits and rocking back and forth to try and get some circulation to his extremities. Apparently _too_ focused, considering he doesn’t even notice the guy moving before strong fingers are wrapping around his upper arm and tugging him close, chin knocking against a collarbone before the sound of a zipper pulls him back to reality. He blinks confusedly into the tan skin skant centimeters from his face.

Then it hits him.

He’s wearing his jacket...but with random guy...from across the hall...and they’re somehow both zipped inside. “Uh, yeah, no.”

“No, this is great. This way I’m warm, you’re warm.” He squeezes his arms around Steve a bit at that, as if to somehow say _look, look, I’m doing a good job!_ “Everyone’s warm, and everyone wins!”

And okay, much as Steve hates to admit it, this guy is a _furnace._ And even though Steve’s kind of damp by association at this point, he’s also noticeably warmer...and warm is good.

“Oh, and I’m Bucky by the way.” He laughs abashedly. “Probably should’ve said that before...”

“Well, if I’d been a good neighbor I would’ve already known, looked at your door or something.” (It’s a problem, he knows. But between taking the maximum number of credit hours and working two campus jobs...he doesn’t have much time to spend hanging around the dorm.) “I’m Steve.”

“Steve…” Bucky echoes, mumbled between his lips like a question. “Steve...where have I- oh shit, _you’re_ Steve Rogers?”

Steve feels his eyebrows scrunch together. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“No, I just- I’ve heard a lot about you.” He pulls back as far as he can, looks Steve in the eyes searchingly. “You’re a real punk, you know that? An idiot, but probably the bravest idiot on campus. Don’t know anyone else who would’ve socked a guy for trying to prank him in the shower.”

Steve remembers that incident vividly-- remembers hearing them clamor through the bathroom door and seeing the nozzle of a water gun with what was definitely not water inside being positioned over the door of his stall. He remembers drawing back, swinging forward and throwing the door open in one big rush; the smack of skin and ending up naked and bruised on cold tiles with a cracked smile on his lips.

“Yeah, well,” he sniffs. “We aren’t all as open to parading around in our skivvies.”

Bucky lets out a groan. “Shit, don’t remind me. It makes me colder just thinking about it. I think my toes are going to be blue by the time they let us back in.”

“Let’s hope not,” Steve says, wriggling his own and wincing at the stiffness. (If Bucky’s are blue by the time they get inside, his will be black and lying on the ground somewhere.) His fingers are marginally better, but not great.

They stand there in silence for another minute, listening to the murmurs of the other sleepy students around them and the general sounds of a university night: bass pounding somewhere in the distance, a random burst of laughter, a car speeding by.

Then, oh so nonchalantly, Bucky balances his chin on top of Steve’s head. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed you trying to keep your hands off me.” He says. “I know you’re cold so just get it over with. I can take it.”

Steve grumbles into damp skin.

“Besides,” Bucky continues, a smile curling his words. “Your hands are so tiny, bet I’ll hardly feel a thing.”

And Steve knows he’s being baited, but it’s too good of an opportunity to pass up, so with another huff he works his hands out from underneath his arms and plants them square on Bucky’s chest instead, splaying his fingers out across the outline of ribs and pectoral muscle.

He’s not disappointed, because not only is Bucky warm, he also jolts spectacularly at the touch of Steve’s icy palms.

“Holy _fuck_ ,” Bucky hisses. “How the hell are you that cold? Are you really that cold?” He tightens his arms around Steve and crushes him closer, even rubbing his hands up and down Steve’s back and sides and ducking his head down to press his jaw along Steve’s cheek. “Seriously, Steve. Is this normal?”

“Yeah,” Steve says, honestly surprised at Bucky’s sudden amount of concern. “Bad circulation.”

“So it’s like a _thing,_ not a normal I’m-just-colder thing but a thing, like, you should really be inside under fifty blankets right now so you don’t lose fingers and toes kind of thing?” Bucky asks, words running together at fifty miles an hour. “What are you even wearing on your feet?” He pulls back to glance down then is somehow maneuvering Steve even closer, wedging their legs together so the warmth of Bucky’s ankles is bleeding into Steve’s. “You’re just _trying_ to lose some digits, aren’t you? Didn’t even grab socks…”

“Well _excuse me_ for not thinking of grabbing a parka after being woken up at three in the morning.” Steve fires back. “And whose jacket are we using? And which one of us is in nothing but underwear?” Steve asks, getting faster with each accusation. “And which one of us is dripping water all down the side of my neck, because I can tell you right now that that’s not he-”

He’s cut off by a sudden pressure against his lips, Bucky’s mouth on his warm and chapped and perfect. It’s just the gentle press of skin for a few breaths, neither of them moving, Steve staring up into the shadowed branches of the tree above them in shock before his eyelids finally flutter shut. Leaves shudder around them and he breathes out, shifts his head the barest of fractions... and Bucky’s lips part to accommodate, suck Steve’s lower lip between them before going chaste again. Fingers thread into the hair at the nape of his neck, hold him gently as another hand presses firmly against his lower back. Steve’s own hands find their way to Bucky’s waist, holding on to the soft skin just above the waistband of his shorts. His fingers press in as Bucky breathes out against him, an amazed sound like he can’t quite believe this is happening.

Steve can’t really believe it either.

Because it’s almost four in the morning and Steve’s just kissed the guy who lives across the hall.

Bucky pulls back slowly, hands still holding Steve likes he’s afraid of letting go. “Hey,” he whispers, eyes anxiously searching Steve’s face. “Was that okay?”

(Steve can’t help but glance down at his lips, the way they’re now slightly slick.)

“I th-”

“Alright everyone, time to go back inside!” Their RA yells. A chorus of half-hearted cheers accompany the message and a new burst of energy fills the darkness, harried residents filing back into the building.

Steve and Bucky turn back to look at each other, Bucky with a questioning smile on his face as he unzips the jacket and moves his arms to his sides to Steve can take a step back. Soon, they’re the last ones standing in the ‘safe area’ and it’s quiet save for the wailing of a siren in the distance.

“I think…” Steve says again, saying the words carefully as he steps back into Bucky’s space. He puts a hand on Bucky’s shoulder and leans up to press a kiss to his lips, slow and lingering before pulling away again. “I think I might have to be a better neighbor from now on.”

Bucky’s got a grin on his face as he captures the hand Steve was pulling from his shoulder, threads their fingers together. “Oh really? Gonna come see me?”

“Maybe,” Steve shrugs, leading them towards the building. “If you make it worth my while.” But he’s got a grin on his own face and Bucky knocks against his shoulder with a laugh that rings in Steve’s ears even once they’re standing in their own hallway, fingers still tangled loosely together and staring at their separate doors.

“Breakfast in the morning?” Bucky asks hopefully, giving Steve’s fingers a squeeze.

“I eat at seven,” Steve says. “Sure you don’t want to wait for the weekend?”

The words are hollow in his mouth. It’s only Tuesday. Neither of them want to wait that long-- or at least he hopes not.

“Killing me,” Bucky groans. “That’s in three hours you realize?”

Steve sighs ruefully, “Yeah, tell me about it. So I understand if you don’t w-”

“No,” Bucky gives his fingers another squeeze. “No, it’s fine. I can just go back to sleep after, don’t have class until eleven. And even if did, I’d still wake up for you.” He gives Steve a cheesy wink. “So I’ll pick you up a little before seven?”

Steve glances up and down Bucky’s disheveled form, taking in the mussed hair and worn boxers. “Something tells me I’ll be the one knocking on _your_ door. And don’t forget to put on pants this time.”

“Course not,” Bucky leans forward and places a last kiss on Steve’s lips, resting their foreheads together for a moment before stepping back and clearing his throat. “I’ll see you in the morning, then.”

“See you in the morning.” Steve echoes, watching in amusement as Bucky gives a mock salute and saunters back towards the bathroom to collect his things. Retreating into his own room and crawling into bed, Steve stares at the ceiling and wonders at the phantom touch on his lips until he hears the door close across the hall.

“See you in the morning, Buck.”

Outside, a harsh wind blows by and rattles the trees, leaves dancing and swaying against a muted grey sky as the day’s rain continues to seep into the ground.

  


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**Author's Note:**

> also on tumblr if you want to come say hi^^ same username, its not letting me put a link for some reason sorry :(


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